Techniques for manufacturing a device are disclosed. In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for forming a solar cell. The method may comprise: implanting p-type dopants into a substrate via a blanket ion implantation process; implanting n-type dopants into the substrate via the blanket ion implantation process; and performing a first annealing process to form the p-type region and performing a second annealing process to form a second n-type region.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of forming a solar cell, the method comprising: implanting p-type dopants into a substrate through a surface of the substrate via a first blanket ion implantation process; implanting n-type dopants into the substrate via a second blanket ion implantation process; and performing a first annealing process to form a p-type region and performing a second annealing process to form an n-type region, the p-type region and the n-type region being proximate to each other, wherein all regions of the surface of the substrate implanted by the first blanket ion implantation process are also implanted by the second blanket ion implantation process.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the n-type region is interposed between the p-type region and the surface of the substrate.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first annealing process is a selective annealing process and wherein the second annealing process is a blanket annealing process.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second annealing processes are selective annealing processes.
5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first annealing process is performed after the implanting p-type dopants and before the implanting n-type dopants.
6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising: forming a dielectric layer on the surface of the substrate after the first annealing process and before the implanting n-type dopants.
7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising: extracting a portion of the p-type dopants implanted into the substrate into the dielectric layer.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the dielectric layer is SiO 2 .
9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: forming a dielectric layer on the surfaces of the substrate after the first and second annealing processes; forming a first contact hole extending from the dielectric layer to the p-type region; and forming a second contract hole extending from the dielectric layer to the n-type region.
10. A method of forming a solar cell, the method comprising: implanting p-type dopants into an n-type substrate via a blanket ion implantation process; implanting n-type dopants into the n-type substrate; and performing a first annealing process to form a first conductivity region, the first annealing process being a selectively annealing process; and performing a second annealing process to form a second conductivity region, wherein one of the implanting p-type dopants and implanting n-type dopants is performed after the first annealing process, and implants dopants into at least a region of the substrate not annealed by the first annealing process.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the second annealing processes is a blanket annealing process.
12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the second annealing process is a selective annealing process.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the implanting n-type dopants into the substrate is performed prior to the implanting the p-type dopants.
14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the implanting n-type dopants into the substrate is performed after the implanting the p-type dopants.
15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the implanting the n-type dopants into the substrate is achieved via a selective ion implantation process.
16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the second conductivity region is interposed between the first conductivity region and a surface of the substrate.
17. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising: forming a dielectric layer on the substrate; and extracting a portion of the p-type dopants from the substrate into the dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer is formed after the first annealing process but before the second annealing process, and wherein the dielectric layer is in contact with the first conductivity region.
18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the dielectric layer is SiO 2 .
19. A method of forming a solar cell, the method comprising: implanting p-type dopants into a surface via a first blanket ion implantation process; implanting n-type dopants into the substrate via a second blanket ion implantation process; and performing a first annealing process to form a p-type region and performing a second annealing process to form an n-type region, wherein at least one of the first and second annealing process is a selective annealing process, and wherein all surfaces of the substrate implanted by the first blanket ion implantation process are also implanted by the second blanket ion implantation process.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
October 26, 2012
March 22, 2016
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